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Primary schools should be required to identify pupils in danger of being jobless after they leave school at 16, according to a former government minister leading a major review into the issue.

Former health secretary Alan Milburn, who is into young people not in education, employment or training (Neet), said someone should be “responsible” for identifying and supporting children at risk, adding that the first signs can be seen “from preschool”.

Mr Milburn told The Guardian: “The warning signs are there from a very early, early age. Definitely primary schools should be identifying children who are at risk of being Neet.

“Secondary schools and other services should be intercepting, intervening, supporting and helping those young people to get on a different path.”

Schools could draw on attendance records to identify those at risk of being Neet, Mr Milburn suggested.

Through the review, the Department for Education will be asked to update its pupil premium guidance to emphasise that those at the highest risk of unemployment can access tutoring and mentoring schemes using additional funding for disadvantaged pupils.

Technical education pathways

An interim report by Mr Milburn, published in May, warned that the school system does too little to prepare students for work and to support those most at risk of unemployment.

The final report is due this autumn, following new prime minister Andy Burnham’s announcement of his “mission” to address the number of Neet young people.

Last week the government unveiled plans to open new technical education routes for 14-year-olds, placing them on an equal footing with more traditionally academic pathways.

It is understood that, rather being introduced throughout England at the same time, the new vocational routes will start being phased in from 2028.

Welfare reforms

Mr Milburn said welfare reform would play a key role in the final report, but argued that a young person reaching the benefit system represented a failure of education, skills and health policies.

“We’ve got to turbocharge opportunities for young people. We’ve got to make it easier for young people to get a job,” he said.

The latest data, published in May, showed that the number of Neet young people aged 16 to 24 surpassed 1 million for the first time since 2013, reaching 1.01 million in the three months from January to March.

Mr Burnham’s plans also include bursaries worth up to £4,500 a year for households on universal credit to help teenagers take on apprenticeships.

Yesterday education secretary Lucy Powell vowed to “rewire” the education system after statistics showed that school leavers from disadvantaged backgrounds or with special educational needs are far more likely to be Neet.

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